Great first day of Catalyst West Coast. Erwin McManus’ opening session on “third spaces” was inspiring and challenging. McManus divides one’s relational life into three spaces: 1st space is where people are like you, you are the norm. The church is often a 1st space where no aliens or outsiders are allowed; 2nd space is a broader set of relationships where not everyone is like you, yet there’s still relationships; 3rd space is where there’s no relationships, and there won’t be unless invited; you are the alien.
Christians tend to create exclusive 1st spaces and never cross over into the 2nd space, meaning they will never be invited into the 3rd space. There’s a lot of talk about changing culture for Christ but this means we must leave the 1st space; “Jesus thrives in the 3rd space”. He likened trying to change culture without leaving the 1st space to the Mississippi having an impact on the Pacific; the Mississippi is powerful but will never affect the Pacific.
McManus’ text was Acts 17 with Paul in Athens. Paul was distressd by the idolotrous city so he went to the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks (1st space), then he reasoned with those in the marketplace (2nd space), and then he was invited to the Areopagus by the city’s philosophers (3rd space).
Paul crossed the cultural divide and left the space where he was comfortable, normal, and right. He entered the marketplace where he wasn’t the expert and had to earn the right to be heard. Then Paul was invited to the city’s philosophical, open-air think tank to share his “strange ideas”.
The big idea for me is culture doesn’t change in 1st spaces. First places are good and necessary. This is why I wouldn’t say we need to leave the 1st space in order to reach the 2nd and 3rd. I see it where we flow in and out of these spaces like the ebb and flow of the tide.
In the end, it’s not about cramming people into our 1st space, but loving them in their space. It means we give up the comfort of only being around others like us and intentionally engage those far from God. It’s understanding that living only in the 1st space makes one irrelevant to those in the other spaces.
Whew, a lot to chew on.
1 Comment
April 22, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Wow, this is a great word picture. Powerful stuff.
My second space is probably surfing and the gym. I’m meeting a ton of people and reconnecting with old classmates. I’d say I’m flowing into 2nd space, but not the 3rd YET!! great goal though.
Facebook is also a good 2nd space. If you go to 3rd space on facebook, it’s called stalking. Not into that. lol.